Farmers’ yields in Germany have been falling for years due to climate change. The mood in the companies is gloomy again this year.
Nationwide, farmers have started harvesting grain. Mainly because of the drought in May, the German Farmers’ Association expects a harvest that is around six percent lower than last year and a yield of around 40.9 million tons of grain. This continues the trend of years of falling yields, said the President of the German Farmers’ Association, Joachim Rukwied, on Tuesday in Riethnordhausen, Thuringia. “Agriculture is already clearly feeling the effects of climate change.”
The mood in the farms is subdued. The reason is not only the expected yield losses, but also a drop in the price of grain and rapeseed of 40 to 45 percent compared to last autumn. “We farmers need higher prices.” In view of the increased costs, this situation poses great challenges for many companies.
However, the Farmers Union President does not anticipate any major impact on consumers. Rukwied: “We continue to assume that inflation will not be driven by agricultural products.” An exception are the prices for sugar and pork.
